How to Involve Parents & Other Advocates

Parents can make a real difference in the success of your High School/High Tech program and in their children's educational and career planning. This section suggests ways to involve parents as partners in the High School/High Tech journey.

To be successful, your High School/High Tech journey must involve a number of active travel partners, including school officials, teachers, corporate sponsors, and local employers. One other group of partners that must not be overlooked, however, is the parents or guardians of your project's participating students. Only with parents' ongoing support—of both the project and their children—can your High School/High Tech project truly achieve its goals. Working with parents involves two components: involvement and cooperation.

Invite Parental Involvement

Parents should be encouraged to become actively involved in your High School/High Tech project and in their children's educational and career planning. For many parents, this involvement comes easily; they seek out opportunities to share in their children's experiences, communicate effectively with their children, and take time to attend activities in which their children participate. For other parents, involvement is more challenging. Busy work schedules, needs of younger children, language barriers, and other factors can hinder active involvement, even when the interest and desire is there. In some instances, simply picking up the telephone to invite parents' participation in an event or to ask for advice about a specific project component will go a long way in encouraging their involvement.

Encourage Parental Cooperation

Local-level project managers report that most parents appreciate the value of High School/High Tech activities, but that this support does not necessarily translate into project involvement. At a minimum, your goal in working with parents should be to gain their cooperation in returning required paperwork, such as consent and permission forms. Asking parents to sign materials helps to ensure that they have some knowledge about your project's enrichment activities throughout the year.

Ways to Involve Parents

Be creative in looking for ways to engage parents in your High School/High Tech project—and in their children's college and career planning! Below are some suggestions to get you started or to enhance your current level of parent involvement:

• Include parent representation on your local advisory committee.
• At the beginning of the school year, request that parents attend a High School/High Tech orientation with their children.
• Create a brochure, newsletter, or adapt national program materials specifically designed to inform parents about your High School/High Tech project's goals and activities.
• Encourage parents to attend High School/High Tech enrichment activities throughout the school year.
• Invite parents to celebrate their children's accomplishments at a breakfast or lunch at the end of the school year or the end of your summer internship/employment program.
• Plan activities, such as college planning workshops, that require parents' participation. Be sure to schedule these activities during times that are convenient to parents' schedules.
• Invite parents to host field trips at their worksites, or to speak at workshops and other events.
• Solicit parents' ideas for internship or summer worksites, perhaps with their own employers.
• Ask parents to chaperone or provide transportation for field trips.
• Invite parents to see the internship sites at a prearranged time.
• Communicate often with parents. Make periodic calls or send periodic e-mails to parents to update them on their children's High School/High Tech activities and progress.
• Create a project website that includes a section for parents.
• In addition to requiring signatures on consent forms and permission slips, require parents' signatures on any sign-up sheets for student activity participation.
• Ask parents to complete written evaluations of your High School/High Tech project, as well as individual components of the project. Follow-up by telephone with parents who do not return the written evaluations.

Reinforcing Parental Involvement

Reinforce parents' involvement with their children and your High School/High Tech project by encouraging parents to:

• Spend time talking with their children about their interests and goals for the future.
• Discuss High School/High Tech project activities, successes, and challenges with their children.
• Attend as many High School/High Tech activities and functions as possible. Learn all they can about post secondary education and career opportunities.
• Guide their children, but let them make their own education and career decisions.
• Use their personal contacts and resources to help their children pursue their dreams and aspirations.
• Give their children ample opportunities to develop independent living skills at home and in the community.
• Communicate often with the project staff and others involved in the project.

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